Ice2-Oh No!

Way back in 2006, I had recently dug myself of a decade-long debt hole. I was free! Free at last! But I was advised to strategically rebuild my credit. Buy a largish item on credit, pay it off over two or three months. Wait. Repeat with small items, big items, etc. Never take a bite too big that you couldn't pay for it all at once. And I tell you, it worked like a charm! I really did rebuild my credit rating, and by 2010, it was doing pretty well. And then after buying my car that year and paying it off, the credit is sterling. The aim now, is to keep it that way.

But back there in the beginning of debt-free life, it was a little daunting. For my first strategic purchase, I'd decided on a new refrigerator. Prior to this, I'd never bought an appliance that expensive. Other fridges were either provided with an apartment, or were hand-me-downs. I'd decided that I wanted a Maytag Ice2O refrigerator. It was the first model with French doors, a bottom freezer drawer, and water and ice through the front. It was a big purchase, but I managed to find a floor model at Home Depot, and I'd settled for black rather than brushed stainless.

It started us on an appliance-buying trend over the next year, mixing the stainless with the black, and it looked great. But from the first couple of weeks, there were problems. I've detailed them here in a previous post, and I just noted that I started the post almost exactly the same way! Anyway, as noted, the water through the door never really worked. I was foolish in not insisting that the water line be properly fixed, while I had a warranty. So, it's never been fixed.

When I came home from work on Monday, I was greeted with a different problem. Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! The ice machine trap door was popping open and shut on its own. The control panel was blinking like a 60s sci-fi movie computer. I tried tripping the circuit, unplugging and replugging. Nothing worked. Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Endlessly.

So, I've got a repairman coming tomorrow. I've managed to squeeze all of the food into the garage refrigerator. The Ice2O is unplugged and empty. Pulling the beast out was a trick, after the new granite (which has it wedged in pretty tight), and the fact that it's always been missing a screw-foot. So, since this is going to cost me through the nose anyhow, I'm going to see if this guy can also fix the water and the missing foot! It's worth a shot. And if the price estimate goes over a certain dollar, I'm booting the repairman, and going and buying a new fridge. Goddamnit.